Enlightenment
by iChelleable
Summary: Gaara has a sleepless night. Cuddles and kisses ensue. Is this the beginning of a new thing? Narugaa. Shounen-ai. Reviews are ramen and Naruto *loves* ramen. For Naruto x Gaara Fanday 2013


Disclaimer: Honestly why do I even. **_I own nothing _**_*sniffs*_

**A/N: This fic sucked out my soul. Its the longest thing I've ever written. Each and every review will help me retrieve my soul (and hopefully my sanity) from the clutches of this evil ficcy. *smacks fic upside the head***

* * *

It was a normal night in Suna. Cloudless, with a multitude of stars littering the black expanse of sky. The stars glowed, beckoning the lone figure sitting on one of the many rooftops in the village. It was a common occurrence to see that particular person gracing one rooftop or another nightly for as long as eighteen years now. Today was no exception.

Even though Gaara now had the luxury of sleep he found it was hard, sometimes nigh impossible to slip into the land of dreams others inhabited every night. He had lived without sleep for years, he couldn't break the habit that easily. So, those nights when sleep eluded him, he could be found reverting to his old nightly habits; stargazing.

Gaara being Gaara did not simply stargaze however. He pondered the meaning of his existence, the future, and many other deep matters. Currently, he was thinking of the war that was no doubt going to be knocking on their door soon. Activity from the Akatsuki had decreased drastically in the past few months; it was the calm before the storm, he could feel it. They were planning something, something big. He thought of how they had been collecting jinchuriki, how the bijuu had been extracted from their human hosts. The fact that they now had 7 bijuu in their possession was no laughing matter but he was sure that was merely a means to an end. What could they be after? What was their end goal? He wracked his mind but could come up with nary an answer.

Suddenly, he felt a presence directly behind him. He cursed himself for not paying attention and a wall of sand immediately rose up to block the person from him while pushing the person a few paces back. He briefly wondered why his sand hadn't immediately formed a barrier to protect him from the attacker and also, why hadn't he sensed the person's chakra signature? Whoever it was must be extremely skilled to be able to mask their chakra completely, especially from the Kazekage. Was it the Akatsuki?

The person let out a muffled yelp as the wall of sand shoved him back towards the edge of the roof. He stumbled as his foot hit the ledge and contrary to his skill, proceeded to tumble ungracefully over the edge of the roof, letting loose a high-pitched shriek. He certainly was clumsy for a shinobi. Perhaps Gaara had been mistaken in his initial assessment of the attacker. There was no way a shinobi that highly skilled would just fall off the edge of a building.

A thud resounded through the silent village followed by a shout of "Itai!". Gaara sighed. He recognized that voice; he was so tuned into that particular voice that he could pick it out of a crowd of hundreds of shinobi. There was only one person who could manage to catch him unawares yet somehow be as clumsy as to trip over a ledge.

Gaara was unaware of the soft smile on his face as he thought _his_ name.

_Naruto._

It was simply his closest friend (he couldn't get over the fact that he had a _friend_) and not an enemy like he had previously assumed. After what seemed like an eternity, but in actual fact was only a few minutes, had passed and Naruto had yet to appear, Gaara was worried. Surely he couldn't be seriously injured?

He got up and made his way to the edge of the roof, leaving his gourd on the tiles next to where he had been sitting. He gazed down only to be met with a scene he wasn't sure how to feel about. Naruto had braced one hand on the wall opposite Gaara and leaned his head against the bricks while his other hand was doing something that should be banned in public.

Naruto was poking, prodding and basically feeling up his own behind, occasionally letting out a groan every now and then. Gaara was stunned by the sight. He realized he had been staring and snapped out of his stupor. Right then, Naruto let out an outrageously loud groan. It was downright sinful.

Gaara simply had to stop this madness before it went too far. He cleared his throat loudly and asked in what he hoped was his typical emotionless voice, "Naruto. What are you doing." He had to fight a cringe when his voice came out slightly higher pitched than normal. He cleared his throat again, silently cursing his unreliable vocal chords. By then, Naruto had turned around, albeit with a wince instead of the grin Gaara had been expecting.

"You didn't have to do _that_." The voice, the voice Gaara didn't realize exactly how much he had yearned to hear, said mournfully. "I think you bruised my tailbone."

Gaara crossed his arms and frowned. He was upset that Naruto was hurt but he didn't know what to say.

"It's not my fault. You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. I thought you were someone else, an enemy shinobi."

Naruto straightened and bounded up to stand next to Gaara. He landed with a slight wince.

"You're too paranoid. You need to relax. Nothing's going to happen."

Gaara's frowned deepened. Was he being overly paranoid? Perhaps. His fears _were_ unfounded. Relax. Well, there was a word you didn't hear often in association to Gaara. He turned to Naruto.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I woke up and you weren't there. I was worried."

* * *

Naruto had been sent to Suna on a mission. Something to do with sharing information between the two shinobi villages in an alliance. Tsunade-baachan had sent him specifically because he was good friends with Gaara, the Kazekage, and also because he was getting restless in Konoha and thus wreaking havoc right, left and center. She needed him out of the village before she did something she would regret, like bash his head in. Thus, Naruto was in Suna for a fortnight. Let the Kazekage handle the brat. He was the only one Tsunade could freeload Naruto off to anyways. And he seemed to have a high tolerance for the brat. (Just like everyone knew Tsunade had a high tolerance for the brat as well.)

However, the unfortunate thing was that Suna was in the middle of trading with the other hidden villages for their yearly supply of well, everything. As a result, the village was flooded with shinobi, both local and foreign, and there wasn't a room in sight. Being the logical solution to the problem, Gaara offered for Naruto to stay with him in his rooms. He had to admit he was mildly surprised when Naruto agreed. Gaara had wanted to take the couch but Naruto had insisted that they share the bed at the very least. He said he couldn't live with himself if he had not only taken advantage of Gaara's hospitality but also kicked the Kazekage from his own bed. It was a king sized bed so there was more than enough room for both of them anyways. Thus went the sleeping arrangements for more than a week.

At first, Gaara had more trouble than usual falling asleep due to the unfamiliar sensation of having another's presence in his bed. It didn't help that Naruto fell asleep with ease everyday and promptly started snoring loudly. It wasn't just the noise that kept Gaara awake. He could feel the enticing warmth emitted from Naruto's sleeping form just inches to his left. It amazed him, how he was so attuned to Naruto. His every breath, every movement seemed magnified and Gaara was aware of _everything_ that he did. He just had this light inside him, this goodness, that drew Gaara like a moth to the flame.

Perhaps it was because Gaara had lived in darkness and despair his whole life and Naruto had been the only one with enough light to break through this black suffocating aura that had shrouded him. Gaara smiled peacefully, his heart light with the knowledge he was now free of that oppressing need to maim, to hurt, to kill; not just because Shukaku was gone, but also because he had Naruto by his side. With a smile still lingering on his face, he finally slipped into the clutches of sleep.

* * *

Presently, Naruto was looking at Gaara with something akin to a worried frown on his face when Gaara didn't offer an explanation.

"Is something the matter?"

Gaara shook his head.

"I just couldn't sleep."

He started walking back to his earlier spot. He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his hands. Naruto walked over and stretched out next to him, pillowing his head on his forearms. He squinted up at Gaara but Gaara pretended to ignore his scrutiny.

_Hmph!_ he thought,_ fine, if that's how you want to be like._

Gaara wouldn't admit it but he liked the company Naruto provided. Speaking of, Naruto was uncharacteristically silent tonight. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Naruto being quiet for longer than 5 minutes. Maybe he was finally growing up.

A strong gust of wind blew through the village. It was very common in the desert at night for sudden bursts of wind, Gaara was used to it and merely brushed some silky strands of fine red hair out of his eyes, not even blinking. However, Naruto was significantly more affected. He sat up in a flash, shivering as what felt like a thousand ice-cold needles pricked nerve endings all over his body. He wrapped his arms around his torso and tried valiantly to warm himself up. It was no use. His teeth had started chattering. Gaara was sitting next to him as cool and unruffled as ever. By god, didn't he feel the tiniest bit cold at all? Naruto was freezing his ass off where he sat.

As cold as he was, he could feel Gaara's body heat radiating from him. It was too good to pass up. He inched closer to Gaara, bit by bit until he was pressing the whole left side of his body against Gaara's right. Naruto sighed in relief as he feel substantially warmer. Gaara had noticed Naruto moving nearer but thought nothing of it until he suddenly pressed up against him.

He stiffened instantly. _What was Naruto doing? _

He looked down and saw that Naruto had his arms wrapped around himself and was still shivering infinitesimally. Well, he thought, no wonder he was cold, coming out here dressed like that. Naruto was wearing a thin cotton tank top and boxers. Nothing else. Obviously he had just crawled out of bed when he came looking for Gaara.

Another gust of wind howled through the village. Sitting on the rooftop, Gaara and Naruto got the brunt of it. Gaara was unaffected but Naruto started shivering violently and pressed closer into Gaara's warmth. Gaara sighed and hesitantly wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulder. Usually Gaara was apprehensive about touching other people and being touched himself but this was Naruto, he is different.

"Why don't you go back inside. You're freezing."

Naruto uncurled from his fetal position and looked at Gaara who was gazing down at him. He shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm staying."

Naruto knew why Gaara was up on the roof tonight. He knew Gaara needed him even if Gaara himself didn't realize his need for companionship. He didn't regret his decision to stay. He just wish it wasn't so damn cold.

Gaara sighed again. Anyone who knew Naruto knew it was impossible to do anything to stop him once Naruto made up his mind. He was an uncontrollable force of nature no one dared oppose. Looks like he made up his mind to freeze to death on this rooftop. Well, the least Gaara could do was try to keep him warm since it was solely because of him the idiot was trying, and failing quite miserably, to brave the harsh desert winds. He wrapped his other arm around Naruto in a hug and turned them so Gaara was blocking Naruto from most of the wind.

Naruto was happily surprised when Gaara hugged him. In a heartbeat, he burrowed into Gaara's warmth, wrapping his own arms around Gaara's waist as if snuggling into the Kazekage was the most natural thing to do in the world. Naruto thought it would've been weird, embracing another man. But this was Gaara, he understood Naruto in a way no one else ever had; they were too close for the unspoken rules of intimacy. They sat that way for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

Squeals and giggles broke the silence, followed by a deep husky laugh. The sounds came from below where Gaara and Naruto sat. Naruto lifted his head from where he had buried it into Gaara's chest. He would have blushed at the position they were in had he not been Uzumaki Naruto. He drew away from Gaara, curious about the sounds that were intruding on their peaceful quiet.

Gaara's arms tightened around him for a brief moment before he released Naruto.

Naruto got up and walked to the edge of the roof his silent footsteps on the crumbling roof a testament to his skill as a ninja. He stood on the edge and gazed down at the scene. Gaara followed him a second later.

Together, they looked down at the couple who were making out against the side of the building. A streetlamp was a ways away from them and darkness obscured their faces such that the two on the rooftop could not make out their features. The girl had spiky blond hair that looked to be about chin length while the guy had his black hair tied back in a ponytail. They dressed in normal civilian clothes, the two on the roof couldn't tell if they were shinobi or not. The guy trailed his lips from her mouth and down the column of her neck as he backed her against the wall. She gasped and her high breathy moans echoed down the alleyway. The situation was obviously getting quite heated and the two shinobi on the roof thought it best to retreat before they were caught and accused of voyeuristic tendencies. As they were about to turn away they abruptly felt the atmosphere change as the heated tension between the couple drained away. Again curious, they continued watching the couple.

The guy had slowed down his ministrations on the girl's neck. He slowly kissed his way up her throat tenderly before giving her a light sweet kiss on the mouth. That kiss spoke of adoration and love, volumes of it. It was the kind of kiss one didn't just give to a girlfriend or lover, it was what one gave to the love of his life. The girl kissed him back just as tenderly. They could clearly tell the young couple were madly, hopelessly in love with each other. It was brazenly displayed for the world to see. The guy took the girl's hand, wrapping his fingers around hers and squeezing gently. Then they walked down the street, their shadows casting long black shapes behind them.

Naruto and Gaara watched them go. They still hadn't been able to discern their faces throughout the whole incident. Naruto walked back to his spot and sat down, wrapping his arms around his bent legs. Gaara still stood at the roof's edge watching the couple disappear into the distance. Finally, Gaara turned around, an unreadable expression on his face. He walked back to Naruto and sat down. Naruto studied his expression. There was longing there, as well as pain, curiosity and another emotion he couldn't discern.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Gaara turned his head slowly to look at Naruto. Naruto was looking at him intently. He shook his head.

"No."

Naruto frowned.

"Have you ever been on a date?"

Gaara shook his head.

"Been kissed?"

Again, a shake of the head.

"Do you even like anyone?"

Gaara thought about it. Then, "No. I don't think so."

"Why not? There must be tons of girls after you. You're good-looking, powerful, not to mention the Kazekage! Girls dig that."

Gaara shrugged.

"I'm just not comfortable around people besides you and my siblings. When I'm around other people I can't talk to them or relate to them, we're too different."

Naruto supposed that was true. Aside from him, he didn't think Gaara had any other friends at all. It must be a pretty lonely life he led. He felt a rush of sympathy for his friend. If there was any way to take away even a little of that loneliness, Naruto would do it. He would do _anything _to help his friend. So, he thought. And he thought some more. Now, Naruto is an impulsive person, everyone knows that. In fact, he's known for being the number one most unpredictable ninja in Konoha. So it wasn't a surprise when he acted on a whim to a thought that just surfaced in his brain.

Naruto leant forward and pressed his lips to Gaara's.

He knew he was the only one Gaara was comfortable around and it's not like his siblings could do it. Gaara doesn't exactly lead a normal life being the Kazekage and all, so Naruto rationalized a little normalcy might be good for him. Maybe he would open up more after experiencing something that made him more like normal person. If he didn't, well it wasn't exactly fair to expect Gaara to do a 180 and bloom into this social butterfly, but at least he would know what it's like. Naruto didn't think that a guy kissing a guy or a friend kissing a friend out of the blue would be the farthest thing from normal. He just didn't think that way. He only thought of Gaara and trying to help him and obviously Naruto was the only person who could even try so he did. Try.

Gaara was stunned. He couldn't think. Couldn't move. The feel of soft cool lips on his was foreign to him. He kept his gaze on Naruto's cerulean blue eyes. They were open, staring at him, gauging his reaction. The sensation was not unpleasant, was all he could think, as Naruto kissed him. Slowly, slowly, he started to kiss him back. Naruto's eyelids slid till they were at half mast when Gaara started to kiss him back. Then, they closed altogether. Gaara too closed his eyes to better feel the sensations of the kiss.

Naruto's hand was cupping his cheek, his other hand on his shoulder for balance. Gaara found his hand had moved to hold Naruto's waist, his other hand cupping the back of Naruto's neck. He could feel the soft blonde tendrils of hair at his fingertips. He found that he liked this kissing thing very much. There was a warm feeling in his gut, coupled with butterflies in his stomach. He found he was slightly giddy and pulled away to take a breath of much needed air. He opened his eyes and saw Naruto staring back at him, nose inches from his. He did not initiate the kiss again, obviously waiting for Gaara to do so if he wished. Gaara found he was drawn to those soft pink lips. He alternated his gaze between Naruto's striking blue eyes and those irresistible lips, trying to decide what he should do.

In the end it wasn't even a contest, Gaara leaned in and closed his eyes again as he touched his mouth to Naruto's. He kissed him with greater enthusiasm now as Naruto did the same. He used his hand on Naruto's waist to bring him closer. Naruto wrapped his arms around Gaara's neck, practically sitting in his lap by now. They sat and kissed until dawn lost in each other, then, exhausted, made their way back to bed and promptly fell asleep.

When Gaara woke up it was close to noon and Naruto was nowhere to be found. Finally he found the blonde shinobi in the kitchens laughing and chatting away with some of his guards. As he neared them, the guards straightened up and saluted him. Naruto turned and greeted Gaara with a grin.

"Hey Gaara! Want some brunch? I'm sure you're pretty hungry."

Gaara searched Naruto's eyes for some sort of recognition or change for what they did last night. He couldn't find any. Naruto looked the same as always, happy and unburdened. Gaara didn't know what that meant for Naruto and him, if there was even a "Naruto and him". In either case he couldn't very well discuss it with Naruto in public so he just nodded and took his meal silently. Throughout the meal he observed Naruto and came to the conclusion that he was just the same as always. Did last night's actions not affect him at all?

Gaara didn't get a chance to discuss the new aspect of their relationship with Naruto. He didn't know if it was because Naruto was avoiding him or it was just coincidence. First, Kankuro had taken Naruto out into the village to have some "fun", then Naruto had to train and later he was talking with Temari about wind techniques. It seemed he just couldn't get Naruto alone. At night when he thought they'd finally have a chance to talk, Naruto had jumped into bed, said goodnight and conked out immediately. Gaara was flabbergasted. He tried poking Naruto, tapping him on the shoulder to shoving him all to no avail. Naruto slept on, snoring away like a freight train. Gaara gave up and went to bed.

The next day, it was time for Naruto to leave and go back to Konoha. A fortnight had passed and he was due back to his village. It was absolutely rotten timing for Gaara. Now, he might never understand what happened that night if he didn't corner Naruto now and get it out of him right then and there. Naruto hugged Kankuro and Temari, waved goodbye to the guards and then turned to Gaara.

"Goodbye Gaara. I'll see you soon okay? Thanks for everything."

He gave him a tight hug and Gaara hugged him back. Gaara whispered in his ear.

"Are we going to discuss what happened that night?"

Gaara phrased it as a question. He didn't want to pressure Naruto. Naruto pulled back and regarded Gaara with a determined expression on his face. He shook his head. There was a light in his eyes that clearly showed he was not going to back down no matter what. Gaara was resigned. He could see he wasn't going to get an explanation for Naruto's actions that night.

"Goodbye Naruto. Take care and stay safe."

He stepped back and watched his friend begin his trek through the desert back to Konoha. Then, he turned and walked back into the village when he could no longer see Naruto's outline through the heat waves rising off the sand dunes. Halfway back to his quarters, he was suddenly struck with an epiphany. He loved Naruto. He didn't know in what way, but he knew he _loved_ him. More than his siblings and possibly even more than his own existence. It was a scary thing, that he would give up his life for this boy without a second thought. Drowning in his newly discovered feelings for his friend, he made himself a promise. He was certain a war was coming and it would surely involve Naruto in one way or another. He promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep Naruto safe. Naruto was the sun and warmth in a world of cruelty and darkness. God forbid if something happened to the one who gave them hope in a times of despair and terror. Naruto altered the lives of everyone he met whether friend or foe. He would change the world of shinobi as they know it, Gaara was sure of it. Such an angel could not, would not, be destroyed if Gaara had anything to say about.

His heart was light with the knowledge that he was capable of such all-consuming love and also coming to terms with his own feelings. The thought of Naruto brought a tender smile to his lips.

Gaara resolved that one day, he would find out the meaning (if there was any) behind the incident that night. For now, he was content to bask in the memories that made him feel love and loved in return.


End file.
